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NIAW

Flipping the Script is On Us

Whenever I get included in anything infertility and loss awareness wise there are three parts of my brain that fire:

  1. Ego – Duh, my story needs to be a part of this.

  2. Shame – Who do you think you are? You shouldn’t even be included, no one wants to hear or is ready for your story and message.

  3. Gratitude – Thank you so much for including me and remembering my scary story is more common than people think or want to admit.

My name is Justine Froelker, and I am the infertility advocate whose story scares the bejeezus out of most in our community.

6 Things Infertility Taught Me

By Brianna Steele

6 Things Infertility Taught Me

There is no question, my journey to parenthood was the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with.  My entire life I dreamed of becoming a mother and the thought of this dream not happening was heartbreaking. I wouldn’t wish infertility on anyone but I do believe that infertility taught me six things that changed my life for the better.

Patience

I’ve always been a Type A, go-getter.  I was working in my dream job by age 21, I had my Master’s degree by age 22, I married my high school sweetheart at 23… I really thought I could plan for everything that I wanted in life but this journey taught me not everything is in my control and I needed to be patient.  The never-ending waiting for your next doctor’s appointment, waiting for your medicine to arrive, or waiting for the next cycle was extremely hard and it seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel was far, far away. What gave me patience and hope was the many options that were available: IUI’s, IVF, surrogacy, and adoption. There were so many options and I knew one of these options would help me become a mom. Every day I kept telling myself that I was one day closer to becoming a mom and that kept me going.

Strength

There were times that I didn’t want to face the outside world and didn’t want to get on social media because I knew I’d probably see a baby announcement.  Though I was always happy for others, I was also incredibly sad for myself. That being said, through the sadness and fear, I kept reminding myself that I was made to be a mother and I needed to be strong and fight like one. Sometimes you have to go through really hard struggles to realize how strong you are.Empathy

In this world, we are so quick to judge.  Infertility taught me that you don’t always know what someone is going through.  Everyone is going through some tough battle that you might not have any idea about.  I wish everyone would look deeper into a person before they make any assumptions. Wouldn’t this world be more beautiful if we all did this?

Gratefulness

One of the best pieces of advice I can give someone who is struggling with infertility is to treat yourself when something doesn’t go the way you wanted it to.  Whenever a treatment failed for us, we booked a trip to cheer us up because traveling makes our hearts happy. Due to a lot of failed treatments we were able to travel to several different countries. I’m thankful for these trips because it opened my eyes (and my husbands) to so many different cultures, provided me so much joy during this hard time, and most importantly, it taught me to be grateful for what I do have.  I know trips aren’t always feasible but do something that makes you happy and brings you joy after a failed treatment, whether that be a pedicure, a trip, spend the day with a loved one, or even just a night out. You deserve it and it’s always nice to be reminded to be grateful for what you do have.

The TTC Community and TTC Sisterhood is a Real Thing

The TTC Community on Instagram was so supportive and non-judgmental during my journey. We’d pray for each other, cry for each other, and were always there during the good times and the bad.  They also “understood” what you were going through. This community made me feel not alone. There are a lot of good people in this world, you just have to find them. If you’re going through infertility, please find us on Instagram (my username is MyTwinMomAdventures). We are a VERY welcoming group and would love to have you.

It Made Me a Better Mother

This will sound very cliché, but I truly believe this struggle made me a better parent. I’m sure I would’ve been a good mom even if I hadn’t struggled with infertility but infertility made me realize what miracles my children are.  It made me a more understanding, patient, and grateful mother. I thank God, every single day that I get to be their mom. I will never take being a mom for granted.

When going through infertility, you can easily get caught up in how horrible, unfair, and sad everything is. Or you can take what’s happening and learn from it. I was often consumed in anger and sadness but I did learn these important lessons and I truly believe that I am a better person because of the journey I went through.

BRIANNA IS A MOM TO BOY/GIRL TWINS, CAMDEN AND ELLA! SHE AND HER HUSBAND STRUGGLED WITH INFERTILITY FOR YEARS. AFTER THREE ROUNDS OF IVF (IN VITRO FERTILIZATION), THEY WERE BLESSED WITH THEIR MIRACLE TWINS. WHEN SHE’S NOT WITH HER FAMILY, SHE’S PURSUING ONE OF HER PASSIONS: TRAVELING (40 COUNTRIES AND COUNTING!), WORKING OUT, ORGANIZING, DECORATING, COOKING, BLOGGING, OR WATCHING REALITY TV!

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The Natural Route

My husband, Colby, and I received our infertility diagnosis 6 years ago, in April of 2012. As most couples who have been diagnosed with infertility would understand and agree, we were completely caught off guard. You get married and you have kids, right? Well for 1 in 8 couples this is not the case and we happen to fall into that statistic. This diagnosis came quickly and although we were so thankful to find out what we were up against sooner, rather than later, it was still devastating. What we thought was just routine tests before we started our family, turned out to be much different as we were diagnosed with both female and male fertility.

Flip the Script

This week marks an important week in the world of infertility as it is National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW). It’s a week where people unite, help educate others about infertility and open up conversations to all that it all entails. I am so grateful for the infertility community and RESOLVE as we work to educate others on what it’s like to wear these shoes.

I Didn't See THAT Coming! One Woman's Struggle with Infertility and How it Changed Her Life

How did I get here?! I have NO idea how I got here!

As a little girl dreaming about the life I aspired to have – a high powered career, a doting husband, two beautiful children – it never crossed my mind that I might not be able to have one of those things. From a young age I was told that if I wanted something, I just had to work hard enough, and it could be mine; something about the world being my oyster – you know the saying. So, that’s what I did. I worked hard. I was dedicated. I crushed high school. I sailed through college. I landed an amazing job with a Fortune 100 company right out of college at the ripe age of 22. And finally, that sexy guy that I had kept on my arm for the past four years - my best friend turned love of my life - finally asked me to marry him! I was getting everything I ever wanted. But, why shouldn’t I? I followed the recipe of life that had been handed to me – I worked hard and maintained focus. For that, I deserved everything I ever wanted. Crack that oyster open y’all! I want my pearl!!

Our Story of Infertility

My name is Owen and I am so excited to share my story with you guys today. I am a part time orthopedic Physician Assistant and a full-time mommy. I still get butterflies when I call myself a mom… I will never get used to hearing that and I will never take it for granted. Unless you have personally struggled with infertility, you probably have no idea that this week is National Infertility Awareness Week. A week dedicated to bringing awareness to a topic that is under discussed and over prevalent. I'm sharing our story in hopes of removing the stigma surrounding infertility and to help at least one person feel less alone.

Flip the Script - Tia Gendusa

Hello and welcome lovely readers! I am so, so happy you took a few minutes out of your busy day to connect with me here at Fertility Bridge! My name is Tia and I am a former IVF warrior that writes over at ForeverOrchard.

My path to motherhood closed in late 2017, after unsuccessfully going through four egg retrievals, three transfers, and suffering two miscarriages. We fought and failed for five years, and I spoke frankly about our lives and our decision moving forward in THISPOST.

24 Things You Would Never Know About Infertility Until You #StartAsking

Last night I had one of the coolest conversations that I've had in a little while. The best part, is, we recorded the whole thing. This week is National Infertility Awareness Week and I wanted to participate in the #startasking dialogue, not just with sound bytes or with a scripted narrative, but a candid, meaningful conversation between people who really want to see the infertility community receive the recognition they deserve. So I invited a few cool people to chat on Blab.

All In This Together: 4 Ways Practices and Patients Are Uniting Around Infertility Awareness Week

If I asked you to name what comes between September and November, you might answer Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) before you say October. Is there any oncology center in America that doesn't participate in breast cancer awareness month? Is there anyone who doesn't recognize those pink ribbons? Over 1.5 million people participate in the Susan G. Komen races alone. With major partners like the NFL and Proctor and Gamble, the month is almost too popular; to the point where criticism is made that brands exploit the cause for their own profitability. Meanwhile, all the infertility community wants is recognition of their disease and the resources to treat it. Yet of course BCAM is so much more widely known than National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW). After all, statistics show that 12% of all U.S. women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. That's dramatically higher than the 11.9% of women who receive infertility services within their lifetime.